Exams at INN as an exchange student

There is no specific exam period. Depending on the courses and campus, exams can be held between October and December (autumn semester) and March and June (spring semester).

The exact dates are usually published together with the course schedule. Some exceptions may apply. If relevant, the International Office will inform students. 

Some courses have attendance requirements. The course professor will inform you of all requirements during the first lecture. You must complete your work requirement to qualify for the exam in each course. 

Grades at INN are mainly "A to F", with "E" as the minimum passing grade. Some exams may use the grading "passed" or "failed".

Please be aware that your Transcript of Records will only list the courses you have passed. This includes all grades from A to E, as well as the grading "passed".

If you have a digital school or home exam, it may take up to 3 weeks for the grades to be published. For oral exams, the grade is usually announced the same day or within 3 days after the exam.

Log in to Studentweb to see the location of your exams (school and oral exams only) and your candidate number (all exams). The candidate number is 4 digits long, and you will be given a different one for each exam. 

Check Studentweb a few days before your exam to find this information. Please note that some portfolio exams may not provide you with a candidate number. These exams are not anonymous.

There are various things you must do before arriving at a school exam. Check out the Exam Office's webpage for detailed information on preparing for a school exam.

PCs or MacBooks

INN does not provide or rent PCs or MacBooks to students for their school exams. Students must bring it with them for their exchange. If their computer stops working before the exam, ask a fellow exchange student if you can borrow their computer.

The deadline to apply for facilitation on exams is the following:

• Autumn semester: 15th of September.
• Spring semester: 01st of February.

Exchange students staying for two semesters should apply for facilitation for both semesters. Detailed information about this topic can be found on the Exam Office's webpage for special exam arrangements.

There are various types of exams held at INN. 

• School exams
  • The length of the exam may vary between 3-6 hours, with 4 hours being the most common time duration.
  • Requires in-person attendance at the exam location.
  • Read more on the Exam Office's webpage for school exams.
• Home exams:
  • The length of the exam may vary from 2 days to 14 days.
  • Exams can be completed from anywhere in the world, as long as one takes into account the time zone.
  • Read more on the Exam Office's webpage for home exams.
• Oral exams:
  • The length of the exam is usually between 30 minutes and 1 hour.
  • Some are held in-person, others digitally.
  • Read more on the Exam Office's webpage for oral exams.
• Other types of exam:
  • Not often used.
  • In case you have to take a different type of exam, please contact the International Office at your campus of studies for more information.

You can use your INN student access card, your driver's licence (EU/EEA citizens), your ID card (EU/EEA citizens) or your passport.

Retakes are held at various times in the semesters:

• Exams in the autumn semester - retakes are in January-March.
• Exams in the spring semester - retakes are in August-October.

Some exemptions may apply to courses offered in both semesters, such as the Norwegian Language course in Campus Lillehammer. The exam for this course is held in November/December and May/June. The exam retake is then held at the same time as the main exams. 

Contact the International Office at your campus to find out the deadline and the planned retake date(s). 

Exam retake

If you failed/had a valid reason for not attending the exam, you can retake the exam in the following semester. You have a total of three (3) free exam-taking chances. Failing the first exam counts as the first attempt. If you have a valid reason for not attending the first exam, and it is approved, then it does not count as an attempt.

Improving the grade

To improve your grade, this is only possible the next time the course runs. However, please contact the International Office as soon as possible if you wish to improve your grade and obtain the necessary information on how to sign up.

If you are on exchange in the autumn semester, and the spring semester at your home institution is your final semester, it may be possible for you to improve your grade in the spring semester. Please contact the International Office as soon as possible for further information.

To improve the grade, one has to pay the semester fee of approximately 1000 NOK, as one is no longer an exchange student. If one is a non-EU/EEA citizen, one might also need to pay a small tuition fee.

You are not automatically enrolled in a retake; you need to manually sign up in Studentweb after the grades are published. Be aware that the deadline to sign up for an exam retake varies by course. 

1. After recieiving your exam result, log in to Studentweb.
2. Go to your "Active courses".
3. Find the course and press the button called "Resit course". You only need to sign up for the exam retake.
4. See the pop-up window that confirms that you are signed up.
5. Inform the International Office at international.lillehammer@inn.no that you are retaking an exam. 

If you do not have this button in your Studentweb, or you have completed your exchange with no access to Studentweb, contact the International Office for information on how to sign up by email.

The exam retake in the following semester will be the same type as the main exam. However, if you need to retake the exam again, the exam type might change if the courses change. 

The main type of exam retakes

• A digital home exam retake can be completed wherever you are. Attendance at the campus is not required. You only need to account for the time zone in Norway.
• A digital or written school exam retake must be taken on the campus where it was originally held. You are required to return for your exam and must pay your own travel expenses.
• Oral exam retakes can mainly be taken on campus; however, it may be possible to take them online. A request regarding a possible digital oral exam must be submitted to the Exam Office. There is no guarantee that this is approved.
  • Digital oral exams can be completed wherever you are. Attendance at the campus is not required.

For exam retakes or grade appeals, your grade will only change if you get a better grade. 

• In case of a better grade, the International Office will create a new Transcript of Records and send it to your home institution.
• In case of an unchanged grade, we will not issue a new Transcript of Records. You are responsible for informing your home institution that, e.g., you did not pass the exam retake or no grade change happened after the appeal.
• In case of a worse grade (only improving the grade), the best grade will be included on your Transcript.

If you failed/had a valid reason for not attending the exam, you can only retake the exam in the following semester. Documentation must be submitted to INN within three working days after the exam submission date. Deliver this documentation to Servicepunktet on campus, and they will forward it to the relevant Exam Office for your exam.

You can read in detail about illness or valid absence during an exam on the INN website. 

In the event of cheating or attempted cheating, INN will take strict measures. If you are suspected of cheating, INN will contact you, and you will have the opportunity to comment on the matter if you wish. You may provide your comments either verbally or in writing, and you have the right to see any documents related to your case. Wait for a case worker at INN to contact you.

The International Office is not included in the investigation process; it is between the assigned case worker at INN and the student suspected of cheating. We cannot represent you or intervene in the process. 

In case of proven cheating, the consequence is usually the annulment of the examination / submitted assignment and suspension from INN for up to one year. In cases of repeated cheating or other special circumstances, one may be suspended for up to 2 years. You may not have the right to retake the exam at INN in the following semester, depending on the measures taken. 

For more information, view INN's webpage for cheating on an exam.

If you get a bad grade, you do not have the right to retake the exam in the following semester. You can, however, apply for an explanation of your grade, and e.g. appeal against the grade. If you still wish to retake the exam (to improve your grade), you can only do so when the course runs again, and you must pay the semester fee, as you are no longer an exchange student. 

If you fail an exam, you have the right to retake the exam in the following semester for free. You have a total of three (3) free exam-taking chances. It is possible to request an explanation of your grade and, e.g., appeal against the grading given on your exam. 

Read about explanations and appeals on our webpages. Be aware of the various deadlines for different exams. However, the entire process for exam appeals can take up to 16 weeks if you choose to appeal. 

If you are appealing against grading at the end of your exchange, make sure to inform the International Office in your campus. We need to prolong your student account with us, so you can access StudentWeb until your appeal has been processed. 

Do not forget to check the detailed course description (also called the study plan) to see what is required to complete the work, attendance (if needed), and so on, to take the exam. It is your responsibility to complete the requirements within the given deadlines.

• If you are sick and cannot complete an assignment, contact the course professor right away. In such instances, you are usually given additional time to complete the assignment.
• If you fail an assignment, you usually have another chance at completing it. It is your responsibility to pay attention to whether or not you have completed the required work requirements.
• The course professor has a deadline to notify the Exam Office of those who have met the requirements and qualify to take the exam. It is not possible to hand in an assignment after this deadline. 

If you do not meet the requirements, you are not allowed to take the exam. It is not possible to retake the exam in the next semester. The only possibility is to retake the entire course the next time it runs. E.g. if it is an autumn course, then it only runs in autumn. However, you do not have the right to retake the course as an exchange student and will need to then pay the semester fee.